Monday, February 5th

From the Tennova Healthcare Cleveland News Desk, here is your news for Monday, February 5th, on Mix 104-1 and Talk 101-3 The Buzz.

From the Cleveland Daily Banner…

A jury is expected to be selected today to hear a decade-old murder case without a body in evidence.

The case of Donnie Ray Brantley will begin in Bradley County Criminal Court, presided over by Criminal Court Judge Andrew Freiberg, and watched by local and national media.

Brantley was arrested in 2013 for the alleged murder of his wife, who had been missing since May 31, 2009. He had been out on bond for the charge of first-degree murder until indicted in 2016. Brantley had been arrested in connection with his wife’s disappearance five years ago, but according to court records, those charges were nolled (dropped with the potential to be represented) because an important witness was unable to testify.

The body of the then 52-year-old woman, a former employee at Lee College (now Lee University), has never been found.

Because of the unusual nature of the case, it has drawn attention from national media crime shows. The CBS News program, “48 Hours,” has already interviewed investigators from the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office and will be in the courtroom filming for a future episode.

From WRCB Channel 3…

A Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer was asked to leave the Outback Steakhouse in Cleveland Friday night because he had his service weapon on him.

In a public post on Facebook, Andrew Ward shared about the experience. He said he was asked by a manager to remove his weapon and put it in his vehicle. He explained that he had to have it on his person because he was in uniform.

According to the post, the manager made a phone call, then asked the officer to leave citing company policy that makes Outback a gun free zone.

That post has now been shared more than 150,000 times.

Outback later contacted Ward and apologized. They also gave him a $100 gift card.

In a later post, Ward explained that the manager confronted him because another patron in the restaurant said she was scared for her life because police are shooting people. This after Ward and his wife were joking and laughing with their server as they ordered, and then prayed.

Ward stated he did not blame the manager for this situation.

Also in news today…

Sheriff Eric Watson announces the first church security training seminar in 2018 which will be open to all faith based, civic, and non-profit organizations looking to learn more about protecting those who attend their gatherings.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is continuing last year’s security and safety trainings to ensure worship services and public meetings remain safe, while also creating a forum for attendees to discuss any safety issues recognized at their facility.

On Friday, February 9th the training will be held at Waterville Baptist Church, located at 4555 Dalton Pike. The training will begin at 6 p.m. and last until 8 p.m.

The training is free and open to all organizations in the city and county, but officials are asking for small groups of decision makers from each organization since space is limited.

Anybody needing more information about the training is encouraged to contact Director James Bradford at jbradford -at- bradleycountytn -dot- gov or 423-728-7300.

This has been your local and state news. You can get news anytime by visiting our website, mymix1041.com. From the Tennova Healthcare Cleveland News Desk, this is Jeremy Gault reporting.